Getting Together
by Lila Toretto
Summary: Pre-IronMan; Rhodey thought that Tony was exaggerating about Howard but when he meets the man and sees him with Tony he realizes that Tony downplayed everything. The revelation causes Rhodey and Tony to get together.


**Summary: **Rhodey thought that Tony was exaggerating about Howard but when he meets the man and sees him with Tony he realizes that Tony downplayed everything. The revelation causes Rhodey and Tony to get together.

**A/N: **From a prompt found on avengers assemble kink meme

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**Getting Together**

Rhodey had met Tony when he was getting bullied for outsmarting one of the students. The kid, which he was since he was only sixteen, was cocky, stubborn, and so many other things that sometimes grated on his nerves but Rhodey liked him, so he took the boy under his wing. Rhodey started to feel something for Tony but ignored it because the kid was too young and it didn't matter that he was a junior, nevermind the fact that Tony was a billionaire and would inherit Stark Industries. A year into their friendship Tony's father Howard Stark finally visited. Tony used to tell him that Howard was a drunk that ignored his son and constantly sent him off to boarding school. Rhodey thought that Tony was exaggerating but when he came upon Tony's apartment, that Howard payed for, he saw just how wrong he was. Tony wasn't exaggerating he was downplaying everything and Rhodey finally figured that out when he saw Tony on the ground and Howard kicking him. Rhodey didn't think he grabbed Howard and threw him out of the apartment. He knelt down next to Tony and picked the kid up carrying him to his bed.

"You shouldn't have done that," Tony whispered when Rhodey set him down.

Rhodey ignored Tony's words and walked into Tony's bathroom to grab a washcloth. After getting the washcloth wet he went back and sat down next to Tony. Rhodey set about cleaning Tony's bloodied lip and nose being as gentle as possible. After he was done Rhodey went to get up but Tony grabbed his arm in a tight grip.

"Why do you care?" Tony asked and Rhodey felt himself grow angry at Howard and anyone else who made this handsome, intelligent young man think that no one cared about him.

"No one deserves to be treated like that Tony," Rhodey answered and dropped the washcloth on the ground to take Tony's hand in his.

"My mom didn't care she just drank and told me to be better, Obi doesn't care but that's just probably because he can't do anything about it, and you saw how my dad is so I think I'm intitled to knowing why you care," Tony said sitting up with Rhodey's help to be closer to the older man.

Instead of saying anything Rhodey leaned down and gently kissed the genius. Tony wasn't even surprised and wrapped his arms around Rhodey to return the kiss. The older man laid down with Tony, not once breaking the kiss instead deepening it. Unfortunately Tony moved wrong and hissed breaking them apart.

"Until you're healed I think we'll have to stick to just kissing," Rhodey said running a hand through Tony's hair.

Tony didn't argue, which was saying something because Tony always argued, and instead scooted closer laying his head on Rhodey's chest. Rhodey smiled and just merely wrapped Tony in his arms wanting to protect him from the world.

A week later right after Tony's seventeenth birthday, Howard and Maria Stark died in a car accident. Tony was upset, which Rhodey understood in a sense because they were still his parents after all, but surprisingly he didn't take it out on Rhodey. Tony had started to drink but it wasn't to the extent that Howard did and he was never abusive nor did he ever cheat on Rhodey. The public may have thought that Tony was a playboy but the women that Tony took were all married and worked in the company. Even after Rhodey joined the air force and Tony took over Stark Industries, the two of them always found time for one another and Pepper came along helping create more time for the two of them. For almost twenty years their life together was great but then Tony was kidnapped and everything changed.


End file.
